120
120
May 8, 2012
05/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 120
favorite 0
quote 1
durbin: thank you. mr. president, we voted at noon today on whether we were going to start the debate on the student loan interest bill. for those who are following it, the largest federal loan to college students, the stafford loan, has a current interest rate of 3.4%. that interest rate expires on july 1 and doubles to 6.8%, meaning any students taking out a loan after that date will pay twice as much in interest. the practical impact of that is fairly clear. if you were to borrow $20,000 to go to college through the federal stafford loan and paid 3.4% on that $20,000, you would find that you were paying $4,000 less than you would pay if you were at 6.8%. so it adds roughly 20% to the cost of that student's loan over the life of repayment. that is a significant expense. most of us are aware or should be that students across america are going more deeply and deeply into debt to go to college. average college indebtedness, $24,000, but an average doesn't tell the story. because if you have one hand over a f
durbin: thank you. mr. president, we voted at noon today on whether we were going to start the debate on the student loan interest bill. for those who are following it, the largest federal loan to college students, the stafford loan, has a current interest rate of 3.4%. that interest rate expires on july 1 and doubles to 6.8%, meaning any students taking out a loan after that date will pay twice as much in interest. the practical impact of that is fairly clear. if you were to borrow $20,000 to...
68
68
Mar 26, 2012
03/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 68
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: calendars number 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 625, 626, 627, 628 and all nominations 627, 628 and all nominations all nominations place on then secretary's desk on the marine corps and navy, mena nominations be confirmed or blocked motions to reconsider and laid upon they table without an injection or debate.at if no other motions in order, tt with any related statements bett printed in record, may thect president be noted of the senate's action. >> without objection.ar >> president, the appointment appears separately in the record is made by the chair. >> without. objection. t, >> it is the consent of when th, senate completes its business today, the senate will resume ao 10:00 a.m.our the general proceedings will be approved today.minuteeach, senators permitting the speaker up to 10 minutes each.signees, with the time equally dividedg e and controlled by the twoajor
durbin: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: calendars number 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 625, 626, 627, 628 and all nominations 627, 628 and all nominations all nominations place on then secretary's desk on the marine corps and navy, mena nominations be confirmed or blocked motions to reconsider and laid upon they table without an injection or debate.at if no other motions in order,...
70
70
Mar 27, 2012
03/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 70
favorite 0
quote 0
senator durbin? mr. durbin: mr. durbin: thank yu senator coons. i'm going to wrap mr. durbin: i hope the u.s. commerce secretary will travel to africa. that hasn't happened in years and i would encourage our secretary to discover the opportunities on this continent for the economy here in the united states. it's hard to imagine the department of commerce is actually cutting its africa staff at this point and the ex-im bank doesn't have an african staff at this-minute. this can change. the tremendous growth of the african economy and its middle class make lack of engagement inexcusable. this bill is a step in the right direction, it's common sense and doesn't add to the deficit. it thinks about ways to use current resources more effectively. it moves us in that direction with low-cost steps that will actually earn the u.s. money while creating u.s. jobs. i'll allow my colleagues to close if they have any closing marks. mr. boozman: we appreciate your leadership. perhaps we could the three of us get some others to write a no note to the secretary of commerce and ask him
senator durbin? mr. durbin: mr. durbin: thank yu senator coons. i'm going to wrap mr. durbin: i hope the u.s. commerce secretary will travel to africa. that hasn't happened in years and i would encourage our secretary to discover the opportunities on this continent for the economy here in the united states. it's hard to imagine the department of commerce is actually cutting its africa staff at this point and the ex-im bank doesn't have an african staff at this-minute. this can change. the...
81
81
Jul 11, 2012
07/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 81
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president, i want to thank my colleagues, senator alexander of tennessee and senator enzi of wyoming, cosponsors of this measure and participants in this cole if i on the floor today -- in this colloquy on the floor today. i'm sorry i wasn't here at the outset but i'm grateful for their participation and comments they made and especially for their commitment to this cause. i think senator enzi and i would both give special thanks to senator alexander who stepped in at a very important moment who helped us craft a part of this bill, helped us craft an argument on this bill and really brought some new approaches to it which have been extremely helpful. the notion of offering this as an amendment is a show of good faith on our part, a show of commitment to the seriousness of this issue and the importance of this issue. the fact that a democrat, two republicans and in fact many democrats and republicans can join together in this bipartisan manner is an indication that this bill really cut
durbin: mr. president, i want to thank my colleagues, senator alexander of tennessee and senator enzi of wyoming, cosponsors of this measure and participants in this cole if i on the floor today -- in this colloquy on the floor today. i'm sorry i wasn't here at the outset but i'm grateful for their participation and comments they made and especially for their commitment to this cause. i think senator enzi and i would both give special thanks to senator alexander who stepped in at a very...
92
92
Jun 5, 2012
06/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 92
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president, last week during the senate recess, i traveled overseas to four countries: ukraine, turkey, georgia and armenia. it's a lot of ground to cover in five days. four countries. in a region with considerable history and great challenging issues. before i go any further on the matter, let me say for the record how impressed i am with the men and women who work representing the united states overseas. the ambassadors, all of their staff, the counselor service, the military attache do us proud every day and many make a personal sacrifice. they are on the front line. ambassador john teft, the ukraine, ambassador bass in georgia and ambassador hef r*eu n -- hefrin in armenia are a remind why the money makes a big difference in a world. this is a reminder of the legacy to challenges facing countries like ukraine, georgia, armenia trying to build independent nations. they inherited an environment that had been virtually destroyed by the soviets, broken economies built on a failed sovie
durbin: mr. president, last week during the senate recess, i traveled overseas to four countries: ukraine, turkey, georgia and armenia. it's a lot of ground to cover in five days. four countries. in a region with considerable history and great challenging issues. before i go any further on the matter, let me say for the record how impressed i am with the men and women who work representing the united states overseas. the ambassadors, all of their staff, the counselor service, the military...
222
222
Feb 6, 2012
02/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 222
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. durbin: we hopen consideration of the surface transportation bill tomorrow. if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask that it adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until this past week house and senate lawmakers continue negotiations to extend the payroll tax cut for workers i think first of all won't work for some of the considerations. second it contradicts the notion that we are suggesting and i agree with the more education than you have today the better off you will be in this economy. archived and searchable at c-span.org video library. >> next british foreign secretary william hague reports to the members of the house of commons on why there was a failed attempt to obtain a u.n. resolution on the syrian situation. >> of the whole house will be appalled by the bloodshed and repression continued in this very moment. over the last 11 months more than 6,000 people have been killed. the regime deployed snipers, tanks, artillery and mortars against protesters a
durbin: mr. durbin: we hopen consideration of the surface transportation bill tomorrow. if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask that it adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until this past week house and senate lawmakers continue negotiations to extend the payroll tax cut for workers i think first of all won't work for some of the considerations. second it contradicts the notion that we are...
87
87
May 23, 2012
05/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 87
favorite 0
quote 0
senators leahy and durbin recently announced the chairman durbin judiciary subcommittee on the constitution will hold a hearing on the senate proposals on july -- will hold a hearing on the senate proposals in july. i thank them for their support. the hearing will be a great opportunity to examine the different approaches to solicit input from constitutional experts and to have a national discussion about the need to return our elections to the american people. i hope this dialogue will convince some of my republican colleagues to join me. fixing our campaign finance system is only a partisan issue in washington. a recent "washington post"/abc news poll found that nearly 70% of registered voters would like superpacks to be illegal. among independent voters, that figure rose to 78%. but the court in its misguided reading of the first amendment told the congress that we can't rein in superpacs. in doing so, it give millionaires and billionaires unchecked power to influence our elections. it has allowed a flood of pac money to drown out the voices of average americans. this is a fatal misreadi
senators leahy and durbin recently announced the chairman durbin judiciary subcommittee on the constitution will hold a hearing on the senate proposals on july -- will hold a hearing on the senate proposals in july. i thank them for their support. the hearing will be a great opportunity to examine the different approaches to solicit input from constitutional experts and to have a national discussion about the need to return our elections to the american people. i hope this dialogue will...
83
83
Sep 20, 2012
09/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 83
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, four years ago, our economy was in freefall, a.i.g. had been bailed out, lehman brothers plunged into bankruptcy. the depth of the recession we fell into is difficult to understate. with the economy contracting at nearly 9% in the last three months of 2008 and over 700,000 jobs lost every month, it's not an exaggeration to call the crisis we faced the worst since the great depression. demand dried up as our financial system collapsed. families struggled to pay the bills. millions lost their homes to foreclosure. our unemployment rate peaked at 10% nationally, 11.4% in illinois. it's been a hard road back to stable economic ground but things have turned around. private sector businesses are hiring again and have been for 30 straight months. between july, 2011, and july 2012, the economy added an average
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, four years ago, our economy was in freefall, a.i.g. had been bailed out, lehman brothers plunged into bankruptcy. the depth of the recession we fell into is difficult to understate. with the economy contracting at nearly 9% in the last three months of 2008 and over 700,000 jobs lost every month, it's...
158
158
Sep 11, 2012
09/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 158
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, it's difficult to come to the floor of the senate on this anniversary of 9/11 and not reflect on your own experience. i was in the same room as the majority leader, harry reid, just a few steps away from the senate chamber when we witnessed the second plane, on television witnessed the second plane crashing into the world trade center and realized it was no accident. and then the black smoke billowing over the mall from the pentagon, a suggestion that we were under attack. and as we evacuated this building and rushed outside, standing in a crowd around, not knowing which way to turn, where was there a safe place to go? no one knew. some tourists coming up to me saying we're new here. where are we supposed to go next? there was no place to tell them. we knew union station was nearby and the metro station not far away, but no place to turn. i might add parenthetically that the decision was made shortly thereafter to build the visitors center. it took years to do it. it is an
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, it's difficult to come to the floor of the senate on this anniversary of 9/11 and not reflect on your own experience. i was in the same room as the majority leader, harry reid, just a few steps away from the senate chamber when we witnessed the second plane, on television witnessed the second plane crashing into the world trade center and realized it was no accident. and then the black smoke...
64
64
Jun 26, 2012
06/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 64
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: i ask unanimous consen durbin: i ask unanimousce resolutions be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table without any intervening action or debate and nay statements be printed in the record as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent when the senate completes its business today, the senate adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on wednesday, june 27. that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, that the majority leader be recognized, that the first hour of debate be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the majority controlling the first half and the republicans controlling the final half. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: we will continue to debate the flood insurance bill tomorrow. i hope we can come to an agreement to complete action. we will also consider the transportation bill and student loan extension before the rece
durbin: i ask unanimous consen durbin: i ask unanimousce resolutions be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table without any intervening action or debate and nay statements be printed in the record as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent when the senate completes its business today, the senate adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on wednesday, june 27. that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the...
83
83
Mar 28, 2012
03/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 83
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: and it's not lost o. when president obama said i never wanted to start an automobile company, he realized if we had not jumpe jumped in nt he did, they might not exist today. mr. brown: it wouldn't have just been chrysler and general motormotors that faltered. honda, northwest of columbus, and ford, oivelg one of the other big three -- one that didn't ask for the rescue -- both of those companies wanted us to do the rescue because they knew if we didn't, their whole supply chain would begin to fall apart, too. so this mattered not just for cries will he and g.m., saving them now that they're putting thousands of meme all over the country -- tens of thousands back to work, including the foreign companies that have invested hey and hired a lot of american workers. i thank the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i would just add, and it is not lost on most americans that there are some political figures who have said publicly that they should have just gone bankrupt and gone out of business. i think the presi
durbin: and it's not lost o. when president obama said i never wanted to start an automobile company, he realized if we had not jumpe jumped in nt he did, they might not exist today. mr. brown: it wouldn't have just been chrysler and general motormotors that faltered. honda, northwest of columbus, and ford, oivelg one of the other big three -- one that didn't ask for the rescue -- both of those companies wanted us to do the rescue because they knew if we didn't, their whole supply chain would...
67
67
Mar 6, 2012
03/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 67
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: i would be happy to yield. mrs. boxer: i want to thank my colleague for putting the gas price situation into the larger picture and also note that one other factor playing a role is definitely manipulation due to some of the instability in the world that we are -- our president is certainly dealing with and many of us here. the instability in iran, the fact that we've got sanctions, the fact that there's also a greater demand coming for this product from china and other very high-growth areas. so i say to my friend, is he aware -- i know he is, but because of the rules, i have to ask it in a question -- is he aware that we are producing far more of this resource, oil, in this country than we have done since 2008; we have many more rigs out there? and is my colleague also aware that the oil companies are sitting on well over 50 million acres of leases that they're not -- they're into the drilling on when they could? and the last point, is my friend aware that we are exporting more than we ever had from america and th
durbin: i would be happy to yield. mrs. boxer: i want to thank my colleague for putting the gas price situation into the larger picture and also note that one other factor playing a role is definitely manipulation due to some of the instability in the world that we are -- our president is certainly dealing with and many of us here. the instability in iran, the fact that we've got sanctions, the fact that there's also a greater demand coming for this product from china and other very high-growth...
78
78
Jun 13, 2012
06/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 78
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: 30 years ago the u.s. supreme court handed down a landmark decision, plyer versus dow. in 1935 the state of texas passed a law that allowed public schools to refuse admission to children who were undocumented. the law also withheld state funds from local school districts if they were to be used for education of undocumented kids. in the plyler case the court struck down the texas law and held it's unconstitutional to deny public education to children on the basis of their immigration status. justice william brennan who authored the opinion wrote -- and i quote -- "by denying these children a basic education, we deny them the ability to live within the structure of our civic institutions and foreclose any realistic possibility that they will contribute in even the smallest way to the progress of our nation." the year was 1982, and in the 30 years since plyler vs. dough was decided millions of immigrant children received an education and become contributing members of today's society. they make us a better nation. since it was decided, plyler has been under attack for ant
durbin: 30 years ago the u.s. supreme court handed down a landmark decision, plyer versus dow. in 1935 the state of texas passed a law that allowed public schools to refuse admission to children who were undocumented. the law also withheld state funds from local school districts if they were to be used for education of undocumented kids. in the plyler case the court struck down the texas law and held it's unconstitutional to deny public education to children on the basis of their immigration...
87
87
Dec 13, 2012
12/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 87
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the nuclear from illinois. -- the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: how much time is remaining? the presiding officer: 7:20 -- selseven minutes and 20 seconds. mr. durbin: the fisca fiscal crs was not manufactured. it was enacted, enacted into law enforcement the law passed with the support of both political parties in the hopes we would never reach this day. we can still avoid it and i hope we will. i think all of us agree that it would be a negative impact on our economy if we in fact go over the cliff. so i hope there will be a good-faith effort on both sides, but this fiscal cliff was created by law, passed by democrat and republican leaders and sent to the president. so this is clearly something we envisioned as the last straw, and let's hope it's one that we will avoid. correspondent cower will the distinguished majority whip yield for a question? mr. durbin: i would be happy to. mr. cornyn: i am a little confused. i don't know whether he is ta
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the nuclear from illinois. -- the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: how much time is remaining? the presiding officer: 7:20 -- selseven minutes and 20 seconds. mr. durbin: the fisca fiscal crs was not manufactured. it was enacted, enacted into law enforcement the law passed with the support of both political parties in the hopes we would never reach this day. we can still avoid it and i hope we will. i think all of us agree that it would be a...
89
89
Nov 15, 2012
11/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 89
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president, i want to say a word about the tragedy woi kur which occurred n benghazi, libya, where we lost our dedicated ambassador and three other american lives. it was an awful thing. it has been years, decades since we lost an ambassador in service to our country, and it is something that we are looking at with a great deal of sadness and sorrow that these individuals who dedicated their lives to america were killed in the course of duty. but this has gone from a tragedy in benghazi to a major political debate in america. part of it was explainable because it was in the closing days and weeks of a presidential campaign when many times issues that don't reach national prominence become prominent because of the attention being paid to the candidates, and a lot has been said back and foncht and i have tried, like other members of congress, to understand exactly what happened on september i 11 in benghazi. it is difficult because there wasn't a gathering of evidence immediately. invest
durbin: mr. president, i want to say a word about the tragedy woi kur which occurred n benghazi, libya, where we lost our dedicated ambassador and three other american lives. it was an awful thing. it has been years, decades since we lost an ambassador in service to our country, and it is something that we are looking at with a great deal of sadness and sorrow that these individuals who dedicated their lives to america were killed in the course of duty. but this has gone from a tragedy in...
83
83
Jul 18, 2012
07/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 83
favorite 0
quote 0
it's not a new issue for senator durbin. he's been on this issue a long time. indeed when president obama was a senator from illinois, he joined in an effort to bring tax haven abuses to light. then-senator obama in 2007 said when he was an original cosponsor of the stop tax haven abuse act, which i introduced with our republican colleague, senator coleman, he said the following: that there's no such they think as a free lunch. someone has to pay always. and when a crooked business or shameless individual does not pay its fair share, the burden gets shifted to others, usually to ordinary taxpayers and working americans, without access to sophisticated tax preparers or corporate loopholes. it was a bipartisan bill. it was aimed at preventing the loss to taxpayers that results from tax avoidance schemes that use secret tax haven jurisdictions such as the cayman islands. the words which i just quoted remain just as true today as they were in 2007. there is indeed no free lunch here. in 2006, our subcommittee on investigations estimated that tax havens cost the tre
it's not a new issue for senator durbin. he's been on this issue a long time. indeed when president obama was a senator from illinois, he joined in an effort to bring tax haven abuses to light. then-senator obama in 2007 said when he was an original cosponsor of the stop tax haven abuse act, which i introduced with our republican colleague, senator coleman, he said the following: that there's no such they think as a free lunch. someone has to pay always. and when a crooked business or shameless...
66
66
Feb 2, 2012
02/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 66
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: are we in morning business? officer sphe yes, we are. mr. durbin: over the last several months, i have put my staff on a little mission, and i asked them to identify manufacturing companies in my home state of illinois that have not only weathered this recession but are doing well and are hiring. i wanted to meet with these companies and find out why the recession has treated them differently, particularly when it comes to manufacturing jobs. i have been pleasantly surprised at home businesses i have found to be in that condition in my state. not to understate our unemployment rate or the impact of the recession on many businesses, the fact is there are some that have not only weathered the storm but are doing quite well. and they represent a variety of different things that they manufacture. the heartening and encourage news is that we are hearing more often that companies have decided to resource their jobs back to the united states. the president in his state of the union address spoke of one such company, mast sper lock, located in mil m
durbin: are we in morning business? officer sphe yes, we are. mr. durbin: over the last several months, i have put my staff on a little mission, and i asked them to identify manufacturing companies in my home state of illinois that have not only weathered this recession but are doing well and are hiring. i wanted to meet with these companies and find out why the recession has treated them differently, particularly when it comes to manufacturing jobs. i have been pleasantly surprised at home...
85
85
Nov 13, 2012
11/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 85
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin durbin: mr. presiden, today's november the 13 13th, ad i think what strikes me about this date, it's only been seven days since the election. seems like a lot longer. maybe it's because the election campaign itself felt so long. but seven days since the american people went out and voted. and i have to say this, it was not just because of the victory of the president, which was important to many of us, but it was quite a validation of this country and this democracy. that millions of americans made the personal sacrifice, took the time and went to the polling places and actually cast a vote. and when it was all over, thank the lord, it was decisive. the president won a majority of the popular vote as well as a strong majority of electoral votes. the outcome was not in suspense nor doubt when it was all over. that was good for the process, it's good for our country, and now, frankly, it's time for us to move forward. during the course of the campaign, i was actively working in my state of illinois
durbin durbin: mr. presiden, today's november the 13 13th, ad i think what strikes me about this date, it's only been seven days since the election. seems like a lot longer. maybe it's because the election campaign itself felt so long. but seven days since the american people went out and voted. and i have to say this, it was not just because of the victory of the president, which was important to many of us, but it was quite a validation of this country and this democracy. that millions of...
53
53
Jan 26, 2012
01/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 53
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: how much time is remaining on each side? the presiding officer: the democratic side has 18 minutes remaining. mr. durbin: is there any time remaining on the other side? the presiding officer: there is no time remaining on the other side. mr. durbin: i would like to ask the chairman if i could have eight minutes or 10 minutes to speak? mr. bawches: i yield the time. mr. durbin: senator coburn who just spoke, we see so many things differently but yet we see so many things the same. he and i come to the senate with different backgrounds, perhaps different values in many areas and a much different voting record. they would put us on opposite sides of the political spectrum if they decide those voting records, and yet i have found over the last several years senator coburn and i have been able to agree and come together on some of the important issues he just raised on the republican side of the aisle which are chaired on the democratic side of the aisle ft senator coburn and i served on the bowles-simpson commission, a commissio
durbin: how much time is remaining on each side? the presiding officer: the democratic side has 18 minutes remaining. mr. durbin: is there any time remaining on the other side? the presiding officer: there is no time remaining on the other side. mr. durbin: i would like to ask the chairman if i could have eight minutes or 10 minutes to speak? mr. bawches: i yield the time. mr. durbin: senator coburn who just spoke, we see so many things differently but yet we see so many things the same. he and...
98
98
Nov 29, 2012
11/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 98
favorite 0
quote 0
and so, as a champion of that fair shake i'm excited to have senator durbin. [applause] >> neera, thank you very much for those kind words your elections as you say have consequences. politics is driven by a lot of things. candids that money -- [inaudible] the center has been at the forefront of that effort to make sure that progressive ideas backed up by more than just -- but arguments of mind. thank you for doing that. i don't know what we do without you. it's an honor to be here with you. she was right. i've been involved in a lot of gang activity. i got to come clean with you. it started with harry reid of when you get to the simpson-bowles commission. 18 members. i thought this was another commission whose product will be lost in history. buried in some hard drive. but it turned out to be a historic effort and the game changer. mainly through the good work of erskine bowles and alan simpson. but hard work that was put into this bite 18 members, evenly divided among house and senate, democrats and republicans. the 11th of us voted for the final work produc
and so, as a champion of that fair shake i'm excited to have senator durbin. [applause] >> neera, thank you very much for those kind words your elections as you say have consequences. politics is driven by a lot of things. candids that money -- [inaudible] the center has been at the forefront of that effort to make sure that progressive ideas backed up by more than just -- but arguments of mind. thank you for doing that. i don't know what we do without you. it's an honor to be here with...
238
238
Nov 28, 2012
11/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 238
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, the minority leader, senator mcconnell, has addressed two issues, the entitlement programs as well as rules changes smed i would tweefe defer to my colleao discuss the rule changes. i would respond to senator mcconnell on entitlements. there is to question that as a senate and house of representatives we should address the longevity and solvency of social security and medicare. it should be part of our conversation about the deficit facing this country and the debt of our nation. but the way we approach it the changes we make are significant and should be looked at carefully. on the issue of social security, i might remind those following this debate, the answer from the republican side for years was "privatize social security; get government out of the business of retirement; let individuals take their investmen retirementt it." that happened when people saw their life savings evaporate as a result of downturns in the stock market. they started envisioning wh
durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, the minority leader, senator mcconnell, has addressed two issues, the entitlement programs as well as rules changes smed i would tweefe defer to my colleao discuss the rule changes. i would respond to senator mcconnell on entitlements. there is to question that as a senate and house of representatives we should address the longevity and solvency of social security and medicare. it should be...
52
52
Mar 14, 2012
03/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 52
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: thank you. madam president, it's time toned the delays and to move ahead with an up-or-down vote on these judicial nominations. there are 22 judicial nominations sitting on the skaoufp calendar, 17 for district court and five for circuit court. these are appointments to federal judgeships. and in many instances they are appointments that are long overdue and desperately needed. 12 of these nominees were voted out of the judiciary committee last year -- last year. twaof them as far back as october. you think they -- two of them as far back as october. you'd think they must be very controversial people. it turns out 17 of these 22 nominees received strong bipartisan in the committee. 13 had blue slips, which are slips, permission to go forward from home state republican senators. 11 of them would fill vacancies deemed as judicial emergencies. i don't understand how we can do this to the federal judiciary and to the men and women who are involved in this. the american people need these nominations
durbin: thank you. madam president, it's time toned the delays and to move ahead with an up-or-down vote on these judicial nominations. there are 22 judicial nominations sitting on the skaoufp calendar, 17 for district court and five for circuit court. these are appointments to federal judgeships. and in many instances they are appointments that are long overdue and desperately needed. 12 of these nominees were voted out of the judiciary committee last year -- last year. twaof them as far back...
65
65
Nov 26, 2012
11/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 65
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president, i've listened closely to this debate because it literally affects my career, my life and the lives of all the members of the senate. it's worth a minute or two to understand what we're talking about in the history -- context of history. it was president woodrow wilson who said to the congress, we want to arm the merchant marine of the united states, put guns on merchant marine ships before world war i, before we were engaged in world war i, to protect those ships from being destroyed or sunk by the warring parties in world war i. he sent that request to congress and it was stopped in this senate? this chamber -- in this senate, in this chamber by one is that right. one senator in those days could stand up and say, "i object." end of story. but president wilson said, that's an outrage that one senator can say that, can stop even the consideration of a measure to protect american lives and our merchant marine? and he created this firestorm of public opinion. and so they creat
durbin: mr. president, i've listened closely to this debate because it literally affects my career, my life and the lives of all the members of the senate. it's worth a minute or two to understand what we're talking about in the history -- context of history. it was president woodrow wilson who said to the congress, we want to arm the merchant marine of the united states, put guns on merchant marine ships before world war i, before we were engaged in world war i, to protect those ships from...
114
114
Dec 18, 2012
12/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 114
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i see my two colleagues from connecticut on the floor here, and i know they are coming to speak about the horrible tramgd in newtown last friday. i will abbreviate my remarks so they can have the floor and commend both of them for extraordinary statements last night at a memorial service. i will not forget ever some of the things they shared with us about this terrible tragedy. but i come to the floor this morning just for a few moments to pay tribute to one of my great friends and one of my great colleagues, danny inouye, who passed away yesterday. the majority leader has done such an extraordinary job recounting his life, and i think back what it must have meant to him as he witnessed pearl harbor at the age of 20. he said that he realized at the time that the pilots in those planes that were bombing his family and others in hawaii were people of the same ancestry as his father, and it hurt him. it hurt him as well to be branded as suspect because of his japanese origin and
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i see my two colleagues from connecticut on the floor here, and i know they are coming to speak about the horrible tramgd in newtown last friday. i will abbreviate my remarks so they can have the floor and commend both of them for extraordinary statements last night at a memorial service. i will not forget ever some of the things they shared with us about this terrible tragedy. but i come to the floor this...
137
137
Dec 6, 2012
12/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 137
favorite 0
quote 1
durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the minority leader -- the assistant majority leader. mr. durbin: madam president, what just transpired deserves a word. senator mcconnell came to the floor this morning and offered a change in law that would help us avoid the kind of obstruction and the kind of showdowns that we have had in the past over the debt ceiling. in fact, the idea was not new. it was his original idea that has been the law of the land and followed. and he offered and challenged senator reid to bring this matter for consideration in the senate. senator reid just agreed to it, said he would bring this for a vote in 20 minutes and we would decide up or down whether the debt ceiling problem would be resolved once and for all under senator mcconnell's proposal. and then senator mcconnell objected, objected saying no, no, we need 60 votes. for those who don't follow the senate, 60 votes is the equivalent of a filibuster vote, breaking a filibuster vote. so this may be a moment in senate hist
durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the minority leader -- the assistant majority leader. mr. durbin: madam president, what just transpired deserves a word. senator mcconnell came to the floor this morning and offered a change in law that would help us avoid the kind of obstruction and the kind of showdowns that we have had in the past over the debt ceiling. in fact, the idea was not new. it was his original idea that has been the law of the land and followed. and he offered and...
124
124
Jun 25, 2012
06/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 124
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president. i ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, today the united states supreme court announced its decision on s.b. 1070, the controversial arizona immigration law. the court, including conservative justices anthony kennedy and john roberts, agreed with the obama administration that a state cannot set up its own immigration enforcement system. as a result, the supreme court today struck down several parts of the arizona law, including the provision that would have made it a crime in arizona to be an undocumented immigrant and the provision that would have required legal immigrants to carry documents proving their legal status at all times. the supreme court is right. states do not have the right under the constitution to enact immigration laws that contradict federal law. many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisl
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president. i ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, today the united states supreme court announced its decision on s.b. 1070, the controversial arizona immigration law. the court, including conservative justices anthony kennedy and john roberts, agreed with the obama administration that a state cannot set up its own...
106
106
Jul 31, 2012
07/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 106
favorite 0
quote 0
president, i'm actually waiting for senator durbin who wanted to speak on another subject. and until he comes, i am going to go ahead and start. and this is over the recent death of os -- os waldo paya, a cuban dissident and his untimely death in cuba over a supposed automobile accident. the cuban people, indeed all free, loving people of the world have recently lost a great advocate for freedom. and he was someone that was in peaceful opposition to the tyranny that is on the island of cuba. oswaldo paya died in a car crash on sunday, july 22. he was just 60 years old. another cue pwapbt dissident -- cuban dissident harold sapayo was also killed in the accident and two pure peen politicians, one -- and two european politicians, one from spain and one from sweden were injured. paya was one of cuban's best-known dissidents. he pushed for civil and human rights. he pushed for an end to one one-party rule. he pushed for freedom for political prisoners. and he pushed for support for private businesses. and in 2002, his vallara project delivered more than 24,000 verifiable signat
president, i'm actually waiting for senator durbin who wanted to speak on another subject. and until he comes, i am going to go ahead and start. and this is over the recent death of os -- os waldo paya, a cuban dissident and his untimely death in cuba over a supposed automobile accident. the cuban people, indeed all free, loving people of the world have recently lost a great advocate for freedom. and he was someone that was in peaceful opposition to the tyranny that is on the island of cuba....
86
86
May 7, 2012
05/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 86
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i rise today to speak in support of the nomination of john lee and jay thorpe to serve on the district court for the northern district of illinois. i have listened carefully to the statement made by the ranking republican on the senate judiciary committee. i would note several things. first, at this point in president george w. bush's first term, the democratic senate had approved 30 more judges that had been -- than have been approved under the current situation with this divided senate. secondly, it would take 60 nominations to be filled by the end of the year, judicial nominations, for president obama to have received the same treatment as president george w. bush in his first term. 60. we could get a lot of that done today. right here are 22 nominations for the judiciary that have cleared the committee. if the senator from iowa to like to come to the floor and join me, we can make a joint unanimous consent request to bring all 22 up immediately. every one of them, all o
durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i rise today to speak in support of the nomination of john lee and jay thorpe to serve on the district court for the northern district of illinois. i have listened carefully to the statement made by the ranking republican on the senate judiciary committee. i would note several things. first, at this point in president george w. bush's first term, the democratic senate had approved 30 more judges...
64
64
Jun 29, 2012
06/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 64
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: i yield to the senator from tennessee and ask that i follow him. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. corker: i appreciate the comments of my colleagues from arizona and south carolina regarding the sequestration. the reason we are in the sequestration mode is six democrats and six republicans could not figure out a way over a ton-year period to cut $1.2 trillion in spending out of $45 trillion that are going to be spent by the federal government during that period of time. so i do hope there's a way to resolve that but i'm here to speak about something related but in some ways very different. today we're getting ready to vote on to legislation dealing with flood insurance, dealing with student lending, dealing with highways, and these are all very popular programs. what people in -- who are listening to may be paying attention to what the senate is doing today, what they may not know is that for the third time in a bipartisan way this body is getting ready to spend more money than was deemed by the budget that was ultimately created by th
durbin: i yield to the senator from tennessee and ask that i follow him. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. corker: i appreciate the comments of my colleagues from arizona and south carolina regarding the sequestration. the reason we are in the sequestration mode is six democrats and six republicans could not figure out a way over a ton-year period to cut $1.2 trillion in spending out of $45 trillion that are going to be spent by the federal government during that period of time. so...
95
95
Dec 17, 2012
12/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 95
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: as i was coming to work today i drove past st. peter's grade school on the house side of the hill. and there were a group of students, little kids, who were being escorted by their teacher down the sidewalk and as they walked along i couldn't help but get a flashback to that image that all america remembers from last friday of the children at sandy hook school in newtown, connecticut, filing out heading for safety at the firehouse. i don't know that i can look at the faces of these children as their names have been roartd and not think of my own kids when they were that age and especially of my own grandchildren now who were just a little over a year old. but i saw in the eyes of those children what all of us see, an innocence, happiness, an interest in the future and just the greatest dreams in the world. well, in one brutal, debraved -- deprived hometown those dreams ended when that gunman forced way into sandy hook school and shot those poor, innocent children. at that moment some people stepped forward who really became heroes
durbin: as i was coming to work today i drove past st. peter's grade school on the house side of the hill. and there were a group of students, little kids, who were being escorted by their teacher down the sidewalk and as they walked along i couldn't help but get a flashback to that image that all america remembers from last friday of the children at sandy hook school in newtown, connecticut, filing out heading for safety at the firehouse. i don't know that i can look at the faces of these...
97
97
Nov 28, 2012
11/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 97
favorite 0
quote 0
brown of ohio, lieberman, stabenow, cantwell, schumer, durbin, mr. johnson of south dakota, bennet, blumenthal, whitehouse, and collins be add as cosponsors to my amendment number 2985. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. udall:man, i yield the floor. -- mr. president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: the presiding officer: without objection, senator from michigan is recognized. mr. levin: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll on the amendment. vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any other senators in the chamber who desire to vote or to change their vote? if not, the yeas are 62, the nays are 37. the amendment is agreed to. a senator: i move to reconsider. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. the senator from michigan is recognized. mr. levin: mr. president, i would now ask unanimous consent that we proceed
brown of ohio, lieberman, stabenow, cantwell, schumer, durbin, mr. johnson of south dakota, bennet, blumenthal, whitehouse, and collins be add as cosponsors to my amendment number 2985. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. udall:man, i yield the floor. -- mr. president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: the presiding officer: without objection, senator from michigan is...
59
59
Jun 6, 2012
06/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 59
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: madam president, i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: and consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i just left a meeting a few feet away from here of the leaders of some of the american colleges and universities. they came to brief us on a challenge that we face across america, that we had better be aware of. it is the growing student loan debt. just in october of a year ago, student loan debt in america surpassed credit card debt. it is now $1 trillion. more students are going more deeply into debt, many of them into debt they can never repay. student loan debt is different than other debt. it is different because you cannot discharge it in bankruptcy, which means it is a debt you will carry for a lifetime. imagine that you're 19, 20 years old, that you've been told as long as you've been on this earth that education is the key to the future, and you're sitting across the table from a financial counselor who says you've just been acc
durbin: madam president, i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: and consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i just left a meeting a few feet away from here of the leaders of some of the american colleges and universities. they came to brief us on a challenge that we face across america, that we had better be aware of. it is the growing student loan debt. just in october of a year ago,...
58
58
Apr 25, 2012
04/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 58
favorite 0
quote 0
. >> earlier today in the senate floor, dick durbin, dick durbin and lamar alexander gave remarks from president obama's recent comments regarding student loan interest rates. senator alexander, former education secretary under george h.w. bush introduced a new bill to help take the proposed student loan interest rate suspd freeze. objection. mr. durbin: madam president, beginning next month, students from all over the united states will begin from graduating from college. families will will gather and celebrate. graduates will be filled with expectation and gratitude. but they're also going to be graduating with debt n. some cases, massive amounts of debt. 96% of for-profit college students will graduate with a debt of $33,000. 15% of them, one out of six, will default on their loans within two years. there's now more than $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt. as i mentioned on the floor several times, a little over a year ago for the first time in history, student loan debt in america surpassed credit card debt. one of the reasons there's been such a huge influx is that colle
. >> earlier today in the senate floor, dick durbin, dick durbin and lamar alexander gave remarks from president obama's recent comments regarding student loan interest rates. senator alexander, former education secretary under george h.w. bush introduced a new bill to help take the proposed student loan interest rate suspd freeze. objection. mr. durbin: madam president, beginning next month, students from all over the united states will begin from graduating from college. families will...
111
111
Dec 26, 2012
12/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 111
favorite 0
quote 0
, senator durbin, if you take my place here in the chair and senator grassley, thank you all so. >> [inaudible] >> i think you're a stalwart, too, senator grassley. thank you all for being a bit i will just take a brief opening statement and invite mike cox if you'd like to do the same. i see senator nelson here, and i can recall going to tampa, florida, with senator nelson with a hearing of our subcommittee on constitution and civil rights. and if you will recall, the first panel of experts that we have from your home state of florida were election officials, democrats and republicans, and the first question i asked them was, what was the evidence of voter fraud and vote abuse that she believes led to these changes in the law restricting opportunities to vote in florida? and they said there were none. there were none. and asked them if they were prosecutions of voter fraud in florida, caused a scandal that led to this, and they said no their work. it turns out they were almost none of it when of it when it came to actual prosecutions. i did the same thing in ohio with senator brown i
, senator durbin, if you take my place here in the chair and senator grassley, thank you all so. >> [inaudible] >> i think you're a stalwart, too, senator grassley. thank you all for being a bit i will just take a brief opening statement and invite mike cox if you'd like to do the same. i see senator nelson here, and i can recall going to tampa, florida, with senator nelson with a hearing of our subcommittee on constitution and civil rights. and if you will recall, the first panel...
62
62
Feb 29, 2012
02/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 62
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: i suggest the absence of a quorum. before i do, could i make, an inquiry, will the time be running on the minority party's half-hour? the presiding officer: the senator is correct. mr. durbin: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: madam president, back in 2008 then-senator obama said that under his policies, energy costs would necessarily, and i quote, skyrocket. skyrocket. end quote. and that he would, and i quote again, have preferred a gradual adjustment to higher gasoline prices. so he indicated at the time that under his policies, energy prices were going to go up. he mentioned that he would like a more gradual adjustment, but when he talked about those policies, he said that energy costs would necessarily, and i quote, skyrocket. well, i thi
durbin: i suggest the absence of a quorum. before i do, could i make, an inquiry, will the time be running on the minority party's half-hour? the presiding officer: the senator is correct. mr. durbin: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without...
81
81
May 24, 2012
05/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 81
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president, i think that accommodation was to allow the senator from louisiana to have seven minutes, and i'd ask for five minutes before the votes begin. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from louisiana will be given seven minutes. the assistant majority leader five minutes and the vote will take place at 12:05. is there objection? so ordered. mr. durbin: mr. president, i ask -- the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader is recognized. mr. durbin: i ask the statement of my objection be made a part of the the record. an amendment we will face this afternoon is one that i am offering relative to dietary supplements. i want to make it clear what this is about. if you walk into your neighborhood drugstore and look at everything on the shelf, here's what i can tell you. all the prescription drugs, the pharmacy has access to have been reviewed by the food and drug administration, that they're safe and effective. all of the over-counter drugs have been reviewed
durbin: mr. president, i think that accommodation was to allow the senator from louisiana to have seven minutes, and i'd ask for five minutes before the votes begin. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from louisiana will be given seven minutes. the assistant majority leader five minutes and the vote will take place at 12:05. is there objection? so ordered. mr. durbin: mr. president, i ask -- the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader is recognized. mr. durbin: i ask...
86
86
Dec 12, 2012
12/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 86
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i have four unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during the session of today's senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. i ask unanimous consent these requests be agreed to and that these requests be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: thank you, madam president. madam president, the house of representatives is back. we welcome them. it's good to have them back in business here in washington. i hope the first order of business this week is to pass a bill that we enacted in july of this year which would protect 98% of american families from any increase in income taxes because of the fiscal cliff. i hope that both democrats and republicans in the house agree these working families don't need a tax increase. those who should pay an additional amount are those in the highest income categories. that's what president obama said. when we voted in the senate,
durbin: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i have four unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during the session of today's senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. i ask unanimous consent these requests be agreed to and that these requests be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: thank you, madam president. madam president, the house of...
69
69
May 9, 2012
05/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 69
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: first i want to thank senator kerry, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee for coming to the senate floor and speaking about our mutual friend, colleague nor dick lugar, who serves as the ranking republican on that senate fr foreign relations committee. i am a new come her to that committee but i am not a newcomer to my knowledge of dick lugar. 16 years ago he was well-known throughout the mid-west for his service as mayor of indianapolis where he combined and made more efficient local units of government and i think the rebirth of indianapolis is attributed to those early steps by dick lugar. loretta, my wife and i, came to snow dick and his wife through an institute. i think we need to encourage where members come together to discuss foreign policy issues. dick lugar was there and always a major contributor when it came to issues of importance. before i arrived in the 123459 when you were still here, senator kerry, he teamed up with senator sam nunn to deal with
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: first i want to thank senator kerry, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee for coming to the senate floor and speaking about our mutual friend, colleague nor dick lugar, who serves as the ranking republican on that senate fr foreign relations committee. i am a new come her to that committee but i am not a newcomer to my knowledge of dick lugar. 16 years ago he was well-known throughout the mid-west...
97
97
Jul 31, 2012
07/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 97
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: i see senator coons on the floor. i'd like to ask him if -- if i could speak for a few more minutes? is that consistent with you? thank you very much. mr. president, the senate help committee released a report after completing a two-year investigation of for-profit colleges. the 1,096-page report is the most comprehensive analysis yet and provides a broad picture of the for-profit college industry. what senator tom harkin and the committee discovered and carefully, carefully documented is an industry driven by profit which too often has limited concern for the students or the actual learning process. the report profiles 30 of the biggest for-profit colleges. virtually from every state in the union, including illinois. there are good schools there, make no mistake, and my colleague, senator harkin, has been careful to point them out. but there are also some that are not making an effort. some are trying to improve student outcomes, but unfortunately, there are many of these for-profit schools that are just taking in, s
durbin: i see senator coons on the floor. i'd like to ask him if -- if i could speak for a few more minutes? is that consistent with you? thank you very much. mr. president, the senate help committee released a report after completing a two-year investigation of for-profit colleges. the 1,096-page report is the most comprehensive analysis yet and provides a broad picture of the for-profit college industry. what senator tom harkin and the committee discovered and carefully, carefully documented...
49
49
Jun 27, 2012
06/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 49
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i'd like consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, let me follow up on what the majority leader spoke to on the issue of immigration because this is the right time to bring it up. i had a meeting, several meetings yesterday that were as touching emotionally as anything that i've witnessed as a senator. there were students who came from all over the united states of america to walk peacefully in front of the supreme court. they were dreamers: undocumented students who have attended schools or add tending colleges and schools in america. they're not asking for a special treatment. they are asking for a chance, a chance to earn their way into the only country they've ever called home. these poor kids out there literally have no country. they were brought here to the united states as babies and infants. they didn't have a choice in the matter. they were packed into a car or on to a bus, and they grew up in america.
durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i'd like consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, let me follow up on what the majority leader spoke to on the issue of immigration because this is the right time to bring it up. i had a meeting, several meetings yesterday that were as touching emotionally as anything that i've witnessed as a senator. there were students who came from all...
63
63
Aug 1, 2012
08/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 63
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: that's right. mr. reid: is the kind of activity that china wants to get from the chamber of commerce. remember, madam president, that's only one way they get this information. with the numerous instruments we carry around -- blackberries, iphones, all of these instruments, every one is a vehicle to find out what's going on in my life, your life, the life of the chamber of commerce, and so i can't imagine how my republican friends can follow this lead. i don't know how -- we've had republican leaders in the past on security. they've all said do something about this. i would love to have a bipartisan bill to work through this. some amendments. i don't expect anyone to think that the bill that senator lieberman and senator collins did is perfect. but it is a lot better than nothing. and i hope that people when we vote on this tomorrow will invoke cloture and pass their bill. i had no choice but to file cloture and i will continue towork with all senators to find out if we can reach a compromi compromise.
durbin: that's right. mr. reid: is the kind of activity that china wants to get from the chamber of commerce. remember, madam president, that's only one way they get this information. with the numerous instruments we carry around -- blackberries, iphones, all of these instruments, every one is a vehicle to find out what's going on in my life, your life, the life of the chamber of commerce, and so i can't imagine how my republican friends can follow this lead. i don't know how -- we've had...
96
96
May 22, 2012
05/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 96
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president, two weeks ago we were given a cautionary lesson about the need to ensure that our nation's banks are carefully regulated. we're still learning the details about the $2 billion bad bet made by banking giant j.p. morgan chase. what we've learned is disturbing. apparently the london office of this wall street giant crafted a credit derivative trading strategy that spun out of control over six weeks. at the center of the strategy was one single trader who was nicknamed -- quote -- "the london whale." one trader, six weeks, $2 billion gone. it's not clear how widely the repercussions of this trading loss will extend, but this incident clearly is an important reminder to all of us. it reminds us we can't afford to take a hands-off regulatory approach to the giant financial transactions on wall street. these institutions drove this nation to the brink of economic disaster just a few years ago. if they're simply left to their own devices, it could easily happen again. we need reaso
durbin: mr. president, two weeks ago we were given a cautionary lesson about the need to ensure that our nation's banks are carefully regulated. we're still learning the details about the $2 billion bad bet made by banking giant j.p. morgan chase. what we've learned is disturbing. apparently the london office of this wall street giant crafted a credit derivative trading strategy that spun out of control over six weeks. at the center of the strategy was one single trader who was nicknamed --...
84
84
May 9, 2012
05/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 84
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland is recognized. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president. i take this time to urge my colleagues to allow us to move forward on the consideration of the stop student loan rate hike act so that we can allow the interest rates on student loans to remain at its current level rather than doubling, which will happen on july 1 unless we take action. mr. president, i come to the floor to express the views of many marylanders who i have talked to about the cost of higher education. we cannot allow the interest costs to go up. it will affect seven million students and their families. we already have too much college debt families have to incur as a result of the cost of college education. we are not competitive with the rest of the world. we look at countries that we compete with and we look at the cost of higher education in their country, compared to what our students have to endure, we start off behind because of the enormous cost to a family to b
durbin: i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland is recognized. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president. i take this time to urge my colleagues to allow us to move forward on the consideration of the stop student loan rate hike act so that we can allow the interest rates on student loans to remain at its current level rather than doubling, which will happen on july 1 unless we take action. mr. president, i come to the floor to express the views...
130
130
Dec 5, 2012
12/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 130
favorite 0
quote 1
durbin: thank you, madam president. i want to thank the senator from michigan for leadership on this issue. 21 days until christmas. 27 days until cliffmas. that's the fiscal cliff, december 31. people are counting down. two-thirds of americans are watching this debate on capitol hill because it affects every single family, every individual. and you think to yourself, could congress possibly step back and let taxes go up on working families? what are we thinking? we know what they're dealing with. many of working families across america struggle paycheck to paycheck. the pew institute did a study last year and asked working families how many could come up with $2,000 in 30 days for an emergency expenditure. it's easy to imagine one. a car repair, a quick trip to the hospital emergency room, $2,000. only half of working families could come up with $2,000 in 30 days. that shows how close to the edge many people live. so now we have before us the possibility that these very same families struggling with these issues are in
durbin: thank you, madam president. i want to thank the senator from michigan for leadership on this issue. 21 days until christmas. 27 days until cliffmas. that's the fiscal cliff, december 31. people are counting down. two-thirds of americans are watching this debate on capitol hill because it affects every single family, every individual. and you think to yourself, could congress possibly step back and let taxes go up on working families? what are we thinking? we know what they're dealing...
56
56
Jan 24, 2012
01/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 56
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i listened to the speech just given by the republican leader of the senate. he expresses a sentiment that americans share, that it's time for us to work together in the senate and the house, across the board in washington and solve the problems which american families face every single day. i agree with him completely on that. unfortunately, the record doesn't reflect a level of cooperation which the american people are expecting. it was hardly a month or two into the obama administration when the republican leader announced that his highest priority was to to make certain that barack obama was a one-term president. it is difficult to establish a working relationship when the first words out of a republican leader's mouth are "we're going to defeat you." and then as we addressed the largest issues of the day, time and again we found little or no bipartisan cooperation. i think back to the important, historic debate on health care. if there was ever a moment when we should h
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i listened to the speech just given by the republican leader of the senate. he expresses a sentiment that americans share, that it's time for us to work together in the senate and the house, across the board in washington and solve the problems which american families face every single day. i agree with him completely on that. unfortunately, the record doesn't reflect a level of cooperation which...
80
80
Jan 31, 2012
01/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 80
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i rise to speak in morning business. mr. president, many years ago when i graduated from georgetown law school, i was offered a job by the lieutenant governor of illinois, paul simon. he asked if i would join his staff in springfield, illinois, in the state capital, and if i would serve as his senate parliamentarian. i jumped at the chance. i was in desperate need of a job with a wife, a baby, and another one on the way. deep in debt, i skipped my commencement exercise to get out and get on the payroll in springfield of the illinois state senate. the first day i walked in on the job in the lieutenant governor's office, they handed me the senate rule book. it was the first time i had ever seen it and they parked me in the chair next to the presiding officer of the illinois state senate and said now you're here to give advice. i spent every waking moment reading that rule book and trying to understand what it meant. there wasn't a course like that in law school nor anything t
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i rise to speak in morning business. mr. president, many years ago when i graduated from georgetown law school, i was offered a job by the lieutenant governor of illinois, paul simon. he asked if i would join his staff in springfield, illinois, in the state capital, and if i would serve as his senate parliamentarian. i jumped at the chance. i was in desperate need of a job with a wife, a baby,...
79
79
Nov 27, 2012
11/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 79
favorite 0
quote 0
senator durbin reminded meh weee left. went back to a wedding in his state. mr. president, i repeat for the third time, the only people that think the senate's working really well right now are the republican leader and the republican senators, because it's not working well. they've abused the process. they've abused something that was set up to help legislation get passed. the filibuster. they've abused it. and now the filibuster is on everything. they can talk all they want about filling the amendment tree and all that. that is so -- mr. president, that has no bearing on what's going on around here. we have -- we try to get things done. the defense bill is a good example. i said let's move to the defense bill. they objected to it. they have been talking about it for months. i agreed to move to it, no preconditions at well right now i've read no preconditions at all. we have to do other things. we have a short period of time now and everything around here is being stalled and he talks about getting bills done. mr. president, this congress has gotten almost nothi
senator durbin reminded meh weee left. went back to a wedding in his state. mr. president, i repeat for the third time, the only people that think the senate's working really well right now are the republican leader and the republican senators, because it's not working well. they've abused the process. they've abused something that was set up to help legislation get passed. the filibuster. they've abused it. and now the filibuster is on everything. they can talk all they want about filling the...
101
101
Feb 29, 2012
02/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 101
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader. mr. durbin: i ask consent that the quorum call be suspended. sphefer sphe without objection. mr. durbin: and consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, overnight and earl will this morning, parts of my home state of illinois and our adjoining state of missouri were pom manied by severe storms and for neigh doassments while the total extent of the damage is not yet known, it is clear that southeastern illinois was hit hard by at least one tornado and heavy stomples the towns of harrisburg and in saline and gallonnensburg have suffered greatly. several people have died as a result. the earliest reports suggest ten deaths. the exact number won't be known for sometime. more than 100 people have reported to suffer serious injury. this is an indication of some of the damage and devastation in harrisburg. between 250 and 300 homes in gale nton county have als
durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader. mr. durbin: i ask consent that the quorum call be suspended. sphefer sphe without objection. mr. durbin: and consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, overnight and earl will this morning, parts of my home state of illinois and our adjoining state of missouri were pom manied by severe storms and for neigh doassments while the total extent of the...
73
73
Mar 5, 2012
03/12
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 73
favorite 0
quote 0
durbin: there are life experiences that depend on where you grew up. in my part of the world, the midwest there was a rite of passage that seemed so commonplace we never questioned it. it was the air raid siren coming off in the middle of the night and your dad saying we've got to go into the basement, there's a tornado warning. that was part of my life and i didn't think twice about it. it happened every year. sometimes not in the middle of the night, sometimes in the middle of the day. but we became accustomed to it because that was what happened where we live. when i was elected to congress and then to the senate, i spent my time visiting locations where tornadoes had struck. all over my state. so i've seen my fair share of tornado damage in the midwest. but i have to tell you what i saw on saturday was extraordinary. i went to southern illinois to two towns, harrisburg and ridgway. they were hit the previous wednesday by what is known as a stage 4 tornado. stage 4 tornado is a tornado with winds up to 175 miles per hour. that is a tornado so violen
durbin: there are life experiences that depend on where you grew up. in my part of the world, the midwest there was a rite of passage that seemed so commonplace we never questioned it. it was the air raid siren coming off in the middle of the night and your dad saying we've got to go into the basement, there's a tornado warning. that was part of my life and i didn't think twice about it. it happened every year. sometimes not in the middle of the night, sometimes in the middle of the day. but we...